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Tuesday, March 08, 2011

International Women's Day, March 8: 100 Years of Struggle for Women’s Emancipation

CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION

Women in Iran and in many other countries today continue to be deprived of many very basic human rights, although the UN designated March 8 as the day to “honor women” in 1975 and the first international women’s day was celebrated 100 years ago in Europe. A tragic garment factory fire in New York in 1911 killed 149 women workers, but ignited public interest in the US and eventually led to improvements in working conditions. Yet today, millions of women throughout the world work under horrific socio-economic conditions. Equal Rights movements in many countries have achieved much in the past 100 years, ironically Iranian women’s struggle for freedom and equality is hostage to medieval laws imposed by the Islamic regime in Iran.

Women of the world come together on this day to celebrate their achievements and re-affirm their commitment to continue their fight for the complete equality of all women throughout the world.

We invite all individuals and groups advocating equal rights to join us between March 3-13: organize conferences, seminars, rallies, concerts, petition writing campaigns and other innovative initiatives. Our primary focus will be the abolishment of gender apartheid and the abolishment of mandatory dress codes (hejab). We ask you to stand with us, and condemn violation of Women's rights in Iran.

Through our joint action we ask the United Nations to pressure the Islamic regime in Iran:

• Stop gender-based apartheid

• Stop the incessant execution of political prisoners

• Stop the stoning of women

• Send a delegation to Iran to investigate the conditions of the prisoners

Fact sheet on the discriminatory laws in Iran:

• 1. Testimony of two women is equal to one man.

• 2. A man can marry a female child as young as nine years old.

• 3. A female is considered male property and subservient to him even in matters of sex

• 4. Forceful sex by a husband is not recognized as rape.

• 5. Divorce is the right of man.

• 6. The custody of children is the right of man.

• 7. Men have the right to have up to four wives and many female concubines.

• 8. Inheritance right of a male is twice that of the female.

• 9. Mandatory Hejab (covering of women) with no freedom of clothes for women.

• 10. Honor killings of the women have increased in Iran. Iran Human Rights reported on November

• 29, 2008: “A high ranking official in the Iranian police said in an interview with the daily newspaper Etemaad that there have been 50 honor killings in the last 7 months”

• 11. Article 1117 of the IRI constitution empowers the husband to forbid his wife from accepting a job.

• 12. Article 1005 of the IRI Constitution dictates that the husband has the right to control his wife's freedom of movement and behavior.